Following Your Principal Into a New Job with Danielle Skowronek

Hi {{first_name|there}},

Most Chiefs of Staff get one shot at building an operating rhythm with their principal. Danielle Skowronek got two, and she joins me on the podcast this week to talk about what carried over and what she had to earn all over again.

Also this week: a proper introduction to The Exchange, our member platform.

And Chief of Staff Connect London is nine days out!

Danielle Skowronek built an operating rhythm as Chief of Staff to Under Armour's President of the Americas. Then her principal became Chief Merchandising Officer, and Danielle went with her into a business she'd never worked in.

Following your principal into a new role sounds like the easy version of a job change. You already know how they think, and you already have their trust. Danielle found out how little of that carries over.

When Kara Trent moved from President of the Americas to Chief Merchandising Officer, the work jumped from weekly sellout numbers to product decisions 18 to 20 months out. Danielle came from marketing and sports, with no merchandising experience. Kara's trust got her the seat, and that's about where it stopped.

Her reputation made it harder. Her new peers had heard she'd arrive and drive a strict operating rhythm. So she started by changing how she saw her own value.

She took a weekend between roles to let that go, then led with listening. One leader told her he could tell who was close to him by who had been to his office, so she went to his office. When the team spent four weeks in a windowless room reviewing every product in the line, she brought baked goods.

The rhythm came later, and it came back different. Weekly staff meetings and quarterly offsites survived. Everything else had to bend around product creation milestones. Now leaders bring her the agenda, which is how she knows it's working.

She also owns strategy and business planning these days, with a team that's two months old. She asked for that because, in her words, the Chief of Staff role "influences all, it owns nothing." She's candid that she doesn't yet know where it points next. What would you ask to own?

Some of you on this list got The Exchange newsletter yesterday, our weekly email for our PRO community members. It featured the 2026 Chief of Staff Pathways Report, which sits behind the Exchange login for now and goes public for everyone next week. Since you've now had a peek at what members see, here's the rest of it.

The Exchange is where Chiefs of Staff in the network work through the job together:

Already applied and been accepted as a verified Chief of Staff? You can join for free today and read the full Pathways Report now. Just type in your email to receive your code to sign in.

Not a member yet? Apply to join here.

Are you a Chief of Staff? Join our private community on the Exchange to share your mandates and expand your network today!

Scott